Abstract
In Mineral Fictions: Archives, Bodies of Extraction, Soundscapes, and Possible Futurities in Contemporary Mexican Literature I propose a critical tool to read contemporary fiction that depicts mineral and oil extraction which I call mineral fictions. I argue that contemporary writers employ a seemingly extractive methodology—extraction, excavation, experimentation, and refinement—to create fabulations stemming from the gaps in archival materials. These fabulations serve as sites of dwelling for bodies affected by extractive sociocultural configurations, as well as proposing other ways of approaching socioenvironmental crises and laying the foundation for the exploration of potential futurities rooted in relationality. The extractive metaphor I assign to these authors’ methodologies underscores a narrative figuration that affords a critique to the logic of disposability embedded in extractive capitalism. Ultimately, through Mineral Fictions, I aim to underscore how contemporary Mexican fiction writers seek out what has been discarded, obscured, and/or hidden doing so in an effort to stir up a sedimented stratum of violence.
Committee Chair
Stephanie Kirk
Committee Members
Ignacio Sánchez Prado, Bret Gustafson; Carolyn Fornoff; Ila Sheren
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Author's Department
Hispanic Languages & Literatures
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
8-13-2026
Language
English (en)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/9jd4-sg53
Recommended Citation
Tijerina, Francisco, "Mineral Fictions: Archives, Bodies of Extraction, Soundscapes, and Possible Futurities in Contemporary Mexican Literature" (2026). Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations. 3869.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/9jd4-sg53